Claire Masteller

Claire Masteller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. Her research focuses on geomorphology, sediment transport, and landscape evolution, using interdisciplinary methods across spatial and temporal scales.

Education:

• Bachelor’s in Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania
• PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz (dissertation: biology and flow variability in coarse sediment transport)
• Postdoctoral Researcher & Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Helmholtz Center, German Research Center for Geoscience (2017–2019)

Research Interests:

Masteller investigates processes shaping Earth’s surface and planetary bodies, including rocky coast erosion, bedrock incision mechanisms, and Ozark Mountains geomorphology. She employs environmental seismology, geophysics, and field experiments to study wave-climate impacts on coastal change and long-term landscape dynamics.

Awards & Grants:

• NSF CAREER Award (2024): Focuses on wave-climate effects on rocky shorelines using seismic data from Pacific coast sites.
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship

Lab & Collaborations:

The WUSTL Geomorphology Lab seeks students/postdocs for projects on gravel river dynamics, bedrock abrasion, coastal biology-physical interactions, and Ozark erosion. The NSF-funded research will deploy seismographs in California and Oregon to quantify wave-induced erosion risks.